The FDA And The Shutdown

Everyone in this country is affected by this government shutdown.It's not just the workers and their families but  well -anyone who eats.The FDA , the Food and Drug Administration has been severely impacted by this ridiculous turn of events.

Roughly forty-one thousand FDA workers are at home, not receiving any pay. They and their jobs are vital to not only what we eat and drink but also what medications we take.This  program ,started by Teddy Roosevelt, due in part to Upton Sinclair"s The Jungle, the eye opening novel that damned the meat processing industry in early 1900's century Chicago.The 1906 Food and Drug Act and the 1906 Meat Inspection Act changed all that, enabling the American people to eat healthier and better.Today's FDA creates the guidelines food,drink and drug companies must follow in order for their products to be distributed along with protecting us from food born illnesses.They approve the medications we take along with pulling any questionable supplements off store shelves.They even make sure ads aren't tricking us.We rely on them not just with keeping our foods safe but also our cosmetics and soaps.

Now we're in dangerous territory. Our lives will be compromised as the shutdown continues.It is said that the FDA doesn't have enough money to begin with to get their jobs done properly. Still, they have made great strides in keeping us safe.Yet ,there will be  lapses, thanks to this shutdown.Many of our dollar stores import food and cosmetics from countries that don't have the strident rules and regulations we have.Lead based make up  along with foods with questionable ingredients will be on the shelves of many lower cost chains.The home front won't be monitored either.Selecting lettuce in the grocery store is going to be like walking through a minefield.Which one will give us food poisoning?Or salmonella? Will it be safe to buy chicken? Or beef? The FDA website recommends to be just as vigilant as ever.Continue washing meats and veg, along with cooking them at the appropriate temperatures and times.Luckily such high risk products as seafood, baby formula , and cheese will continue to be tested and inspected.

Hopefully the shutdown will end very soon.Our lives should not be put at risk because of one politician's tantrum.This needs to stop - NOW!

The Food Issue For Thought

Tomorrow's New York Times Magazine is devoted to all things food.Yet it isn't covering trends or cuisines or eve recipes. It has a buffet of interesting and very thought provoking articles. It will definitely make you think about your Sunday dinner along with what you're eating in general.

Again, this is an eye opening issue and focuses on issues big and small that affect the way America eats. One is about what goes on in a slaughterhouse and how the practices there are being secretly recorded. Over a century ago  Upton Sinclair who had worked at a Chicago slaughterhouse in 1906 recorded the horrors in his famed and still effectively  shocking book The Jungle.President of the Time, Teddy Roosevelt, passed The Federal Meat Inspection Act which benefited both consumer and industry until the 1950's, Everything changed in the Sixties and Seventies meat packing became automated.  That's when it went down hill. A spoiler alert you will think twice about eating any and all pork products, from bacon to ham.Another eye opener is the article about the Obama Administration and Big Food. To anyone who though the NRA and the Gun Lobby were powerful think again. These are the powers that stopped both the President and the First Lady from getting America to eat healthier. It's lucky for us that the group spawned the Little Food movement that encourages farms and fresh eating.In the mean time they hurled accusations at the First Couple from demonizing farmers to interfering with food companies.

There are also two other articles that feature bettering food.One has to do with that rarities of rarities blue M&Ms. Mars , the company that makes them along with many other big food manufacturers like Kraft , Nestle USA and General Mills are getting rid of artificial dyes and replacing then with natural colorants. It's easy to do with reds, greens browns and yellow. Blue is different.It's a rarity among animals and nature. When it does occur in the natural world, it isn't truly blue but rather a trick of diffraction or the scattering of light. This is why the sky, water and ice are varying shades of blue.The only plant that could give all natural blue hue is spirulina or blue green algae.If this works then the world and M&M lovers will get the blue hue again, but perhaps not as bright as when it was first dyed. The second article in bettering food is about reducing the salt in frozen  pizza. This is a heavy load. Decreasing NaCL can result in not only a bland taste in the sauce and the toppings but also a flat crust. For a successful crust pizza needs baking soda. Companies like DiGiono use on that is loaded with salt. Even halve the amount and it results in a not so yummy looking pie. The solution lies in subbing in potassium chloride or mineral salts, the last named  for better advertising,It will give pies a healthier makeup  without sacrificing taste.

The Sunday Times Magazine truly has articles that are food for thought. Read them. They are eye opening, food for a foodie's and home chef;'s mind.